Who’s Who: Republican Mitch Little and Democrat Detrick DeBurr are vying for the Texas House District 65 seat

Voters will choose to elect Democrat Detrick DeBurr or Republican Mitch Little to represent District 65 in the Texas House of Representatives in November. State House District 65 is located in the southern part of Denton County and stretches from Justin and northern Fort Worth through Bartonville to the northern parts of Lewisville and Carrollton.

Little, who was endorsed by Senator Ted Cruz and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, defeated incumbent Kronda Timesch for the Republican nomination, while DeBurr ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination in the March primary.

The following candidate profiles, compiled by the Denton Record-Chronicle and completed by the candidates, have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Early voting begins October 21st and ends November 1st. Election Day is November 5th. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. To find your polling place, sample ballot and other Election Day information, visit VoteDenton.gov.

Detrick DeBurr

Pronounced “DET-trick de-BER”

Old: 54

Place of birth: Monroe, Louisiana

Years lived in Denton County: 12 years

Training: DeVry University, 1997, Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems; Irving Citizens Police Academy, 1998; Leadership Southwest, 1999

Work experience: Lead Software Developer for Mainstream Nonprofit Solutions. He previously served as planning and zoning commissioner for The Colony; Chairman, Planning and Zoning Commission, Cedar Hill; St. Philip’s School and Community Center, board member; Dallas Blueprint for Leadership Program, Chair

website: www.deburrfortexas.com

What do you believe should be the top priorities of the Texas House of Representatives, and how would you advance those priorities for the residents of Denton County if elected?

First things first: I would work to fully fund our public schools in Texas. I would advance this priority by (1) tying the base allocation level per student to inflation and (2) basing allocations on the basis of enrollment versus attendance.

At a time when there are major partisan divides at both the national and local level, what are your plans for working with all members of the House of Representatives?

I am 100 percent committed to working with all members of the Legislature to simply “get the job done.” I have no political loyalty that trumps the collective good of the people of District 65.

District 65 includes a very demographically diverse group of citizens. How do you plan to represent them all?

I will concentrate on the essentials. The basics are to fund our schools, reduce the property tax burden on property owners, and represent the people in a way that is respectful to all citizens, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

Mitch Little

Age: 45

Place of birth: Houston

Years lived in Denton County: Almost 13 years

Education: Harvard University, 2001, Bachelor of Arts in Government; University of Texas School of Law, 2003, Doctor of Laws

Professional experience: Attorney, partner and owner, Scheef & Stone LLP, 20 years

Website: www.mitchlittlefortexas.com

What do you believe should be the top priorities of the Texas House of Representatives, and how would you advance those priorities for the residents of Denton County if elected?

The purpose of the Texas House is to ensure the economic, educational, family and religious liberties and freedoms of all Texans and to ensure their safety. The goal is to achieve all of these things while keeping taxes and government regulation low and government small.

Right now we are in the middle of a border crisis that may or may not subside after the November election. The problems associated with this are obvious: increased crime; strain on government resources (including our health care and criminal justice systems); and burden on our housing market. As a state, we must plan to secure our border ourselves, which means committing additional resources to South Texas.

The more immediate crisis for North Texans is affordability, which is a result of government failure. The money printing caused by increased federal spending has pushed inflation to unheard of levels, and the people who bear the brunt of it in our district are the young and the poor. We must rein in the growth of state government to keep the miracle of the Texas economy alive and give everyone the chance to live the American dream of homeownership.

At a time when there are major partisan divides at both the national and local level, what are your plans for working with all members of the House of Representatives?

Collaboration in itself is not a social good. It makes sense to collaborate when the group is actually right about an issue, and not just for the sake of collaborating. When I’m asked this question, the subtext is usually, “How can you occasionally help the Democrats get what they want?” The answer is: I’m not.

If the opposing party wants to work with me to provide educational opportunities for our district, I am there.

If the opposing party wants to work with me to lower property taxes so our people can live their dreams, I’m on board.

If the opposing party wants to work with me to ensure that the Chinese Communist Party cannot own real estate in the state of Texas, I am there.

If the opposing party wants to work with me to protect the Second Amendment and guarantee our freedoms for future generations, I’m there.

If the opposing party wants to work with me to undermine corporate censorship and protect our First Amendment rights from the scourge of big technology, I’m on board.

If they don’t want to work with me on these things, we will do them without them.

District 65 includes a very demographically diverse group of citizens. How do you plan to represent them all?

I do not view the world through the lens of demographics, race, or socioeconomics. Over 200,000 people from different backgrounds and walks of life live in my district. We are all currently facing the same social challenges: our money no longer stretches as far as it used to. Our public schools are no longer functioning as well as they once did. Our government is bigger than it used to be. We are being taxed more than ever before. Our border is more open than ever before.

Crises need leaders. Leaders take on the painful responsibility of making difficult decisions so that the group can thrive. If we want to help our people, we must get government out of their lives as much as possible and make every effort to put money back in their pockets so they can achieve their dreams. In order to represent our district well, we must restore fiscal discipline to our state government and put the power of self-determination back into the hands of the people and not the politicians. The government never solves problems better than the people of Texas.